History Books for Ten-Year-Olds

celandine

Well, actually, they're for me.

I don't know any European history. Seriously. For an "educated" person, I'm an embarrassment, thanks to a high school that didn't teach the stuff and four years of college when I didn't have time. I'm looking for book recommendations to read over break.

Here's the thing, though. I don't want tomes of social science research. I'll barely understand them, since I don't have the background, and they won't be fun. I'm looking for stories. I want history in the old-fashioned, non-PC style: narratives about great men and glorious battles. I want to care about Agincourt.

Basically, what would a bright British ten-year-old boy read in 1950?

CooterTKE

well does it have to be British? Try reading King Leopolds Ghost, Black Livingston if you want to learn more about the Congo. Also check out I think Yamato Dynasty if you want to learn about Japan. My spelling is probably wrong. I will check out my library upstairs in a bit and see what other history books i really enjoyed. I was a history major mainly non-europe or USA history though.

Comahawk

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Republic-Pirates-Being-True-Surprising-Colin-Woodard/9780156034623-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527pirates+caribbean%2527

If that link doesn't work: The Republic of Pirates by Colin Woodard, it is an awesome book.

corcorigan

Andrew Marr's books on modern Britain are pretty good. They're basically a series of anecdotes.

Assuming you are interested in 20th century British history of course.

Spindizzy

When I was 10 I read the horrible history books by Terry Deary - very basic and designed for kids but actually not to bad. Also the work by Giles Milton is fascinating for covering lesser know events in history such as African slavery of europeans, the British samuri, the sale of New York and some others.

As far as real history books go the big selling 'narratives' are ok but they are often tempered by the prejudices or ideals of the author so i would recommend a range. I can have a think back to the undergraduate survey textbooks we recommend to history students here and think of some stuff.

Alternatively, we could start you on a wikipedia down the rabbit hole style trip as despite alot of hostility its good for sketching out details without getting bogged down in the debate and semantics (I can recommend some of that stuff too if you like...)

Its up to you I can help with:

a) A list of good survey textbooks and general histories
b) list some of the major events for a wikipedia binge then let you track down the biographies of these people

celandine

Hmm, thanks...
I'll pass on the wikipedia binge (there's something to be said for curling up with a book, though I do recognize that you can learn a lot from wiki.)
Andrew Marr looks good.

Spindizzy

Ok no problem. Thinking about it some more don't bother with the grand survey books as no one is definitive enough and I don't want to burden you with a billion books. Therefore I would also suggest Simon Schama's series of books as they cover the whole of British History.

Again I would recommend these books:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samurai-William-Adventurer-Unlocked-Japan/dp/0340794682/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260461883&sr=8-6
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nathaniels-Nutmeg-Courage-Changed-History/dp/0340696761/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260461883&sr=8-3
http://www.amazon.co.uk/White-Gold-Extraordinary-Africas-European/dp/0340794704/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260461883&sr=8-2

That will cover British domestic history with some more interesting lesser known events thrown in. If you want to expand into European and International waters i'd recommend the following;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/White-Mughals-Betrayal-18th-Century-Eighteenth-century/dp/0006550967/ref=cm_lmf_tit_2_rsrsrs0
About English and Indian intermarriage and Empire

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Empire-Britain-Made-Modern-World/dp/0141007540/ref=cm_lmf_tit_12_rlrsrs0
Good Narrative of the creation of the British Empire

Outside of these books my knowledge of other historical books isn't so great and I wouldn't recommend something I havn't read. If you have specific topics you are interested in let me know and I may be able to get you some more titles.

I hope this is ok for you.

Nostregar

If you're into European history, there are a number of biographies of Henry the 8th, who was an extremely interesting (and crazy!) guy. I read this one a while ago and it was one of the better ones I've read:

http://www.amazon.com/Autobiography-Henry-VIII-Notes-Somers/dp/0312194390/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260462692&sr=8-7

Note: It isn't actually an autobiography.

It definitely focuses on the story and not as much on names and dates, so it reads pretty easily.


Aside from that, why European? I find Asian history absolutely fascinating, and it might be worth taking a look at. That book "Samurai William" That Spindizzy suggested is about a really fascinating guy who ended up in Japan, so it would be an easy introduction to the region.

gneGne

For Europe you should definately try to find some books on the Dark Ages > The Renaissance > Age of Enlightenment and the French Revolution.

RUNN1NGMAN

For British-specific history, what about Winston Churchill's History of the English-Speaking Peoples? It's four-volumes, but pretty high level considering the span of time it covers. It's considered one the the definitive surveys of English history.

corcorigan

RUNN1NGMAN wrote: »

For British-specific history, what about Winston Churchill's History of the English-Speaking Peoples? It's four-volumes, but pretty high level considering the span of time it covers. It's considered one the the definitive surveys of English history.

Won't it be considered a bit out of date now?

RUNN1NGMAN

corcorigan wrote: »

RUNN1NGMAN wrote: »

For British-specific history, what about Winston Churchill's History of the English-Speaking Peoples? It's four-volumes, but pretty high level considering the span of time it covers. It's considered one the the definitive surveys of English history.

Won't it be considered a bit out of date now?

Well, I think it only covers up to the early 20th Century, but for everything before that it's still great. Pretty anglocentric, as was the fashion.

Fats

Hope Against History is a pretty interesting study of modern Irish history, mainly covering the Troubles. Perhaps a little shallow, but that comes with trying to fit all of it into one book and not a 8-volume series.